Those who follow my Instagram @thevino.chronicles are fully aware that my mother and I spent an extended holiday weekend in Napa and Sonoma. We sipped on delicious wines, took in picturesque views and stayed at some pretty awesome hotels! Keep reading to find out more about our trip.
So yes, my first official trip as the author of thevinochronicles.com was to the beautiful cities of Napa and Sonoma, California. Planning a trip to Napa & Sonoma is a quite daunting task. With a multitude of places to stay and over 600 vineyards and tasting rooms to choose from, one could easily become overwhelmed when trying to decide where to go while visiting this scenic gem.
After a few weeks of planning I didn’t feel quite prepared for my trip but I decided “hey, I’ll just go with the flow” and that is exactly what we did. Mom and I ended up having the time of our lives! We sipped on some impeccable wines and dined at some incredibly unique restaurants during our trip.
Below is a list of the places that stood out to us. Over the next month I will write a series of blogs highlighting some of my favorite spots in Napa and Sonoma!
San Francisco, California
Hillstone Restaurant
We flew into San Francisco which was less than a 1-hour drive to our first hotel in Sonoma. Of course, after a long trek across the states, I needed a decent meal. Fortunately, what I ended up with was more than decent. The food at Hillstone Restaurant was absolutely delish and the portion sizes were on point. Right off Fisherman’s Warf, this cute little spot was simply delightful!
Another highlight of dining at this restaurant was meeting our very own “Fairy God-Sister” Christina. She is a well-traveled, wine-country native who was more than willing to give us the ins-and-outs of all things Sonoma and Napa! We were so happy to meet her, and I jotted down tons of notes on all of the vineyards and wineries that she said were an absolute must. Trust me, she has great taste!
Other things we were sure to do while in San Francisco included Lombardt Street and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, and trust me, we did so in ultimate, touristy-fashion!
Mommy at the Golden Gate Bridge
Sonoma, California
So, our first night was in Sonoma and when I tell you, if I had to choose between Sonoma and Napa, (which I would never have to do because they are so close together) but if I had to, I would choose Sonoma in a heartbeat!
Sonoma has an old-town feel to it, it’s less expensive than Napa, and when we searched for “best restaurants in wine country” for some reason we were always routed back to Sonoma. Over this series of posts, you will notice that we spent most of our time here.
I’ll share more details on why Sonoma was the place for us in future posts which will highlight some of my favorite things about the city which all deserve their own individual mentions!
Included in my upcoming posts:
Inn at Sonoma - A four Sisters Inn – Where we stayed in Sonoma
Jaccuzzi Wines – Our first official wine tasting in California’s wine country
Ceja Vineyards – A Mexican-American, family owned vineyard
The Girl & the Fig – The restaurant that absolutely everyone said was a must when in wine country (I can confirm this... it is a must.)
Depot Hotel Restaurant – Where we had Easter Brunch
Napa, California
Napa was different, it was cute, but we didn’t spend much time here outside of our hotel because, well, our hotel was just EPIC and there really wasn’t a need to go elsewhere.
I work long hours, so it was nice to have some downtime and stay at a hotel that had everything at our fingertips. That hotel was Archer Hotel! It will have it’s own post this month as well, but it definitely deserves to be touted! Be sure to check back in later this month for my posts on the Archer Hotel, Charley Palmer Steakhouse and one of my Napa favorites, California Brandy House.
Calistoga, California
We spent our last day in Calistoga, which mom and I really enjoyed. Picayune tasting room is where we started and ended in Calistoga. It is also where I experienced what was probably my favorite tasting while in Sonoma. The wine was great, the service was awesome and I loved their story. More details to come on this place as well.
I’m looking forward to sharing the details of my tour of wine country with all of you so be sure to check back. Speaking of which, are you subscribed already? If not, now is the perfect time to do so. It’s a great way to be notified when I post new blogs, have giveaways and soon virtual wine tastings! No one likes to be left out, so be sure to subscribe!
xoxo – Rue